Abercrombie Sues Gap Over Poaching of CMO

Abercrombie & Fitch last week filed litigation against Gap for the recent hire of Craig Brommers as chief marketing officer of Gap's namesake brand. In January, Gap had hired Mr. Brommers to help with the company’s turnaround. Brommers had been the senior vice president of marketing at Abercrombie for three years. The lawsuit alleges Brommers violated his noncompete clause and Gap's actions were “intentional, malicious and done with actual malice.”

Total Retail’s Take: Both brands have had a bit of a rough year, Gap with underpreforming earnings the past few quarters and Abercrombie & Fitch and its many debacles with previous CEO Mike Jefferies at the helm. The departure of Brommers adds insult to injury for Abercrombie after the company started to see glimpses of a turnaround. At Gap, Brommers is filling a role that has been vacant for nearly 18 months. Known for his social media talents, Gap hopes he can help revive its brand voice and stop sliding sales. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.